Patent Trolls Beware

This week, House Judiciary Chair Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) announced that he intends to introduce a bill as early as next week that will address patent troll abuses.  On the Senate side, Senate Judiciary Chair Pat Leahy (D-VT) believes that his companion bill will be ready after recess.  The efforts of both members will combine numerous bills that have been introduced by lawmakers on this issue by both parties.  This news, combined with President Obama's commitment to addressing the patent troll issue, could force the offending trolls to halt their behavior in the near term.  For more information on the Coalition for Patent Fairness' efforts in this area, please visit the link below.

http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/50-groups-coalesce-fight-patent-trolls-151214

Best Practices in IP Conference Spotlights Monetization of Patents

On May 29, 2013, The Best Practices in IP 2013: International Perspectives on Creating and Extracting Value Conference in Tel Aviv featured a special Keynote focused on monetization.  The first panel kicked off with the question "Why monetize patents?"  According to the panel, since 2000 the trend towards monetization has grown, particularly exemplified in the field of telecommunications and technology.  Jonathan Taub of the Acacia Research Group engaged the audience with an insightful discussion about how to monetize patents; whether to license them, or to sell them.  Companies are increasingly following alternative paths towards monetization, and this recent panel added interesting food for thought in the ongoing debate over patent trolls.